The Rock & Roll Chef®

Well, looks like it's finally here: I've always wanted to be involved with a small business owner who was ready to franchise their model on a national level, and although the same rules apply for any genre, I guess I always thought it would be something food-related. More, I've always felt that, if a business owner has a few key things buttoned down: financials, training, minimum number of years in business, efficient operations, etc., it's not that big a deal to replicate it. And I never agreed with anyone who said that a business needed more than 1 - 2 units in operation to start a franchise, either. I mean, if it's a long-running proven winner, isn't that proof enough to start cranking out copies of the original?

And so, thanks to Ken Faught of Baby Back Blues BBQ, it looks like this train is finally leaving the station, and soon. I'm happy to report that, starting with the video I produced for his website (which he and everybody else loves), he likes my style & vision, and is entrusting me to "build the new car" around his already smooth-running engine. That includes: New logo (above left, this is the first time it's gone "live" anywhere), website, retail product design/packaging, t-shirts, training videos, a commercial, new menu, etc. In other words, everything a business needs to start franchising and attract franchisees.

Of course, it's WAY to early to project how big, how quickly he'll grow, or how successful he'll be with this. But, paying close attention to all the signs for Ken and his brand (how many companies get invited to put products on the shelves of the huge corporate chains before there's even a product in existence?!?!? How many businesses have people bugging them nearly every day about being a franchise owner? And on and on and on and ON), I'm wondering just how charmed Mr. F and his brand could turn out to be? I know I'll do my damndest to help him get there quickly, with a minimum of hiccups...

Labels: baby back blues, bbq, franchising, ken faught, ribs

IF YOU'VE LIVED IN CHICAGO, IT'S LIKELY YOU'VE HEARD OF MOO & OINK. I'm not originally from here, so I remember laughing hard when I got here & first heard their name, which is both silly and unbeatable for telling you exactly what kind of stuff they sell: SOUL FOOD! (chitlins, collard green, ribs, short ribs, rib tips, catfish, hamhocks, beans, cornbread mix, etc). And all things BBQ.

One thing I discovered that separated them from every other local store - REALLY forward-thinking marketing, including the early adoption of online video, jingle contests, branding, private labeling. Miles ahead of even the big corporate chains, very impressive to me.

WELL, last month I had the pleasure of meeting the man behind that great great marketing - Mr. Barry Levy (admittedly, a cultural disconnect/surprise for that kind of store & target demographic... but talk about iron-clad street cred). I was videotaping a food show for the Illinois Dept. Of Agriculture at Drury Lane in Oakbrook, IL, and Barry was there with his family, rolling out his new venture: America Loves BBQ and Love Me Tenders. Without going into the bloody details, there was a falling out at Moo & Oink and, after 30 plus years, Barry went his own way, and has now moved heavily into the retail & wholesale business with all kinds of tasty stuff (his "Super Sausage" is somewhat addictive; Chip Znuff and myself have been testing various recipes with it). Barry & I hit it off immediately, as I told him how much I loved their marketing & online video, and the things he had to say about BBQ & ribs being a national passion mirrored what I've been saying and doing with RibfestUSA.com.

From there, I had the chance to produce more video at Barry's house (LOVE that 24 p film look), and we got some nice photos... and I then plugged all that in over Barry's 90 second blurb I shot at the trade show (below). I think it tells his story pretty well pretty fast, makes his stuff look big-time, and pretty much shows anyone who's interested what his brands are about.

Something else about Barry: Looks can be deceiving, because there's probably not many people in the USA who know more about soul food than him (and the manufacturing, packaging, distribution and in-store promotions of those foods, too). Based on the wide variety of folks he's befriended from all walks of life, he's no snob either. More, during his time at Moo & Oink, he got to know the owners of more Chicago rib & bbq places than probably any other single person. In my world, that's real cool (and maybe invaluable - can you say Jack Daniels, Green Egg & qualifying event for the JD national event?). Stay tuned & enjoy Barry and his tasty products.

Labels: america loves bbq, barry levy, bbq, love me tenders, moo and oink, soul food

My client/pal Ken Faught from Baby Back Blues BBQ in Plainfield, IL, participated in a rib cookoff last Saturday (Sept 27) here in Chicago. Of course, there was no way to know who would win (Honky Tonk BBQ and Smokedaddy were also there; Willie from Honky Tonk won 3rd place at the 2008 Memphis In May event, pork shoulder, and will be on Check Please this month; Smoke Daddy has been featured on Food Network), so I thought of a way to guarantee a win: Good footage to use beyond the event, whoever took first place (Honky Tonk BBQ did). And so... check out this short video of a little game I made up for Baby Back Blues, where people had to correctly say the restaurant's name 5 times in under 5 seconds (and did I mention there was booze involved?!?!?). FYI, with the exception of Chef Sean O'Brien from Timothy O'Toole's (in the blue chef's jacket, who I met at the event) these are completely random people at the event, I'd never met or spoken with any of them before we got them on camera. It never ceases to amaze me how entertaining "regular" people can be, if you just give them the right scenario...

Labels: baby back blues, barbeque, bbq, jack daniel's cookoff, ken faught, rib cookoff

I'M HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE I'M FINALLY THROUGH "PHASE I" of building CalvinsBBQ.com. It's exciting, I'm relieved, it's been a LONG time coming, and it's something I've wanted to do for a few years now. I think it's pretty tight for the (lack of) budget, and for being brand new as of today.

IN GETTING THIS THING TOGETHER, I've been spending a lot of time looking at anything I could find online about BBQ, online reviews, blogs, etc. - and it's been quite an eye-opener. What I've discovered about the whole BBQ culture in Chicago is this: People are CRAZY fanatics about BBQ, and the picks for their favorite joints around here are all over the place. Don't believe me? Check out LTH Forum, or Chowhound, for some quick examples. Of course, Calvin is my client & pal, so I'm biased about him stepping up to claim the crown for King Of Chicago BBQ. Regardless, more competition only means Chicago turns into an even better BBQ center, which means the real winner is everyone in this fine city who digs some fine 'Q.

Labels: bbq, calvin woods, chicago bbq